Russell's career began in the 1960s with the Tartans, a group which also included
Prince Lincoln Thompson, Linbergh "Preps" Lewis, and
Cedric Myton. When the Tartans disbanded, Russell embarked on a solo career, and for a time joined Cultural Roots as lead singer. He also recorded with Myton as Devon & Cedric. In the mid-1970s, Russell recorded 11 songs for
Lee "Scratch" Perry that were never released. In the early 1980s he recorded for
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's
Studio One label, and his debut solo album,
Roots Music, was produced by Dodd and released on Sweet Music Records in 1982. He moved on to work with
Roy Cousins on his second album,
Prison Life. In the early 1990s he worked with
Zion Train and
Skaville Train. In 1996 his fourth album,
Darker Than Blue, was a tribute to
Curtis Mayfield wholly comprising Mayfield
cover versions. His productions include
Big Youth's 1978 album
Isaiah First Prophet of the Old. Russell died from a brain tumour on 18 June 1997 a year after the release of
Darker Than Blue. ==Discography==